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The White House raises nuclear alarm

AM - Friday, 25 April , 2008 08:19:00

Reporter: Kim Landers

TONY EASTLEY: After almost eight months of speculation and rumour, the United States has spoken officially about the destruction of what it says was a nuclear reactor in Syria last September and North Korea's secret involvement in helping build it.

The White House says it's a dangerous manifestation of North Korea's nuclear weapons program.

Our correspondent, Kim Landers, joins us on the line from Washington now.

Good morning Kim, so what do we know about this secretive nuclear facility in Syria?

KIM LANDERS: Well Tony, the US is now releasing numerous intelligence photographs of the facility, showing it under construction. They're saying that only North Korea has built this type of reactor in the past 35 years and that's why they're confident that there is a link between North Korea and Syria.

One of those photographs shows a prominent North Korean nuclear scientist standing next to the head of Syria's Atomic Energy Commission. The White House is claiming that North Korea helped Syria build this reactor, that it wasn't intended for peaceful purposes and that it was in fact "a dangerous and potentially destabilising development for the region and the world".

TONY EASTLEY: Now, if the Syrian nuclear facility was bombed by the Israelis almost eight months ago as we understand it, why is the US only now going public with its intelligence reports about the nuclear reactor?

KIM LANDERS: Well, that's what's making many people suspicious, even angry. Some members of Congress suspect the US is trying to force North Korea into declaring its nuclear programmes, just as it promised to do so, but have so far failed to do so under the six-party talks.

There's another theory that some in the Bush administration don't think that North Korea can be trusted, that the US shouldn't be negotiating with Pyongyang at all, and the disclosure of this intelligence could stop that process. I should add that the White House insists it's going to stick with the six-party talks.

But there's also another sort of oddity in the White House statement about all of this. They also point out that because of this, the United States and the rest of the world should be concerned about the nuclear activities of Iran. So, they're linking Syria, North Korea and Iran.

TONY EASTLEY: What's been reaction from Syria and North Korea to the US allegations, Kim?

KIM LANDERS: Well, nothing from North Korea at the moment. Syria is quite indignant. It is calling the US accusation "ridiculous", "preposterous". It's reminding Americans that intelligence once got things horribly wrong when it came to weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

Here's what Syria's ambassador to the US, Imad Moustapha, told CNN a short time ago:

IMAD MOUSTAPHA: They showed me ridiculous satellite taken photographs of a building in the Syrian desert, saying this is a nuclear reactor. And I had to remind them that it is on one hand preposterous, on the other hand, there is something silly about this. Not a single security guard, no barbed wire, no anti-aircraft missiles.

REPORTER: What was that building?

IMAD MOUSTAPHA: This is supposed to be a strategic building without a single security...

REPORTER: What was it, the building that the Israelis bombed?

IMAD MOUSTAPHA: An ordinary military building, nothing else.

REPORTER: What was inside?

IMAD MOUSTAPHA: Nothing, it was empty.

TONY EASTLEY: Syria's ambassador to the United States, Imad Moustapha, speaking there in the United States. This morning earlier we were hearing from our correspondent, Kim Landers.